I am going to preface this post with the fact that it is going to be long but instructional. I have put together screenshots as a step by step guide to how to make yourself a CartaFRECCIA for Trenitalia. It should take you approximately half an hour to follow all the steps but once you do and you have the CartaFRECCIA Number you will save between 30% and 50% on highspeed trains in Italy.

If you want to visit Venice and Rome or if you book flights from Italy’s major airports you will need to travel by highspeed train. There is no reason to ever pay the full price of a train ticket. The CartaFRECCIA gives you another way to SAVE your travel $$$.

Part 1: Codice Fiscale

First you will need to find your Italian tax code. It is a number generated from the information on your passport. In some cases your school will have made one for you as part of the permit of stay documentation. In any case, this website will tell you what your codice fiscale is or would be. Make sure you enter your information exactly as it appears on your passport.

This website is not available in English. Make sure your write the country where you were born, or that appears on your passport in Italian.

You should remember that this is not the same as a social security number. This information is freely available online. You will need to make a note of the number so you can use it during the Carta Freccia registration process.

Part 2: Signing up for the Freccia Card

If the images are too small on the page, just click on them and the original, bigger version will open up.

Go to the Italian version of the Trenitalia website. Select Cartafreccia from the menu then Iscriviti a CartaFRECCIA to find the registration form.

This page is not available on the English version of the website but can be switched into English once you have found it on the Italian version.

Make sure you have your codice fiscale written down and your passport handy to fill in this form. I have included notes down the side of the form to help you fill it in correctly. Even though it is well translated in English there are some important things to note.

The first time we filled in the form, we made a couple of little mistakes and had to go all the way back and start again. It is better to take your time and fill it all in correctly the first time.

You can skip over the section about travel habits and services. They are not required to complete the form. Skip down to the end, make sure you click in both the boxes to tick/accept the terms and conditions of the Cartafreccia and press CONFIRM.

Once you have pressed confirm, the site will ask you to review the information you have filled in and confirm again and submit your form. If everything was successfully completed then it will go to the page below. Check your email for a link to finalize your subscription. The email should also arrive in English.

After all your hard work, the link in your email should take you to a page that confirms your user name and carta freccia number. Make sure you write down your freccia number or save it somewhere that will be easily accessible. You can book train tickets online, on the TrenItalia App, at some travel agencies (including FlorenceForFun) and in person at the train station. You can use your CartaFRECCIA number in all of these places to save money.

CartaFRECCIA members who are under the age of 30 have special prices. For the special price to be accepted, you will need to insert your CartaFRECCIA number. Under 30 discounts are limited but if they are available they can be booked up until 24 hours before departure.

If after reading all of my notes, you still can’t get the website to work, feel free to come into the Campus Florence Office (c/o FlorenceForFun) and we can help you fill in the form.

TIP: Always ready the fine print. All discounted train tickets have special conditions and for the most part are not changeable or refundable. Make you you choose the correct day and time when you purchase your ticket. If you need a flexible ticket then you will need to pay full price.

Buon Viaggio!